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An offseason of change has not altered expectations for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016. The three-time defending National League West champions are entering their second season with Andrew Friedman as president of baseball operations and first season under manager Dave Roberts. 

The Dodgers haven’t completely changed their approach. They are still spending more money than anyone else on talent in 2016 but found different ways to allocate those vast financial resources instead of going all in on one player.

There’s also new talent coming up from the minors that gives the Dodgers reasons to be optimistic about this season. Corey Seager, who is MLB.com’s No. 1 prospect, is going to open the year as the starting shortstop after hitting .337/.425/.561 in 21 games last year. 

Building superstars from within is not something the Dodgers have done a lot of during this three-year spending spree, nor have they had to because they’ve controlled the NL West during the regular season, but they are still seeking that elusive World Series title. 

Biggest Storyline: Who Will Fill Zack Greinke‘s Shoes?

This is a trick question because the answer is no one can fill Greinke‘s spot in the Dodgers rotation. He was one of the NL’s three best pitchers last season, so the only way Los Angeles could have realistically replaced him would have been to sign David Price. 

When Price decided to sign with the Boston Red Sox, the Dodgers opted to go for quantity in the rotation by re-signing Brett Anderson and signing Kenta Maeda and Scott Kazmir. 

After a slow start this spring that had a lot of people in Hollywood concerned, Kazmir has gotten stronger with the regular season closing in, per Pitch F/X (via Daniel Brim of Dodgers Digest):

Kazmir is going to be the key for Los Angeles’ rotation. He struggled down the stretch after being acquired by Houston last year, posting a 4.17 ERA and 1.39 WHIP in 13 starts, so going to a bigger ballpark will help him pitch more like the guy who had a 2.38 ERA in 18 starts with Oakland.

Hyun-Jin Ryu is a great wild card in this whole equation. The 29-year-old was a solid No. 3 starter in 2013-14, posting a 3.17 ERA with 293 strikeouts in 344 innings, but injuries kept him out all of 2015. He may not be ready to join the big leagues until June, per MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick. 

The Dodgers have Clayton Kershaw atop their rotation, making them one of the few teams that can withstand losing an ace like Greinke without being completely devastated. 

Rising Star: Corey Seager

It was tempting to try to find another player for this spot, but that would just be looking for complexity where it doesn’t exist. Occam’s razor tells us the simplest possible explanation is the right way to go, so let’s talk about Seager. 

Last year was one of the best rookie seasons in MLB history. Kris Bryant and Carlos Correa won National League and American League Rookie of the Year, respectively, but there was also Francisco Lindor, Miguel Sano, Addison Russell, Kyle Schwarber, Jung-ho Kang, Joc Pederson, Noah Syndergaard and Maikel Franco who made outstanding first impressions. 

Asking Seager to follow their lead, even though he already got a taste of the big leagues late last season and in the playoffs, might seem unfair. 

By all accounts, though, Seager belongs in a class with all of those players. In naming Los Angeles’ 21-year-old phenom MLB’s best prospect for 2016, ESPN’s Keith Law called him a “superlative hitter who projects to do everything at the plate and might even be able to do it at shortstop for a year or two before becoming a top-flight defender at third base.”

Even if Seager doesn’t turn into an instant sensation, like Bryant or Correa, he’s still going to be a massive upgrade over Jimmy Rollins, who hit .224/.285/.358 in 144 games last year. 

There’s MVP upside for Seager, but for now, the Dodgers would be satisfied if he plays passable defense at shortstop with 20 home runs. 

Prediction

The Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants grabbed all the NL West headlines by spending a lot of money on pitchers. The Diamondbacks also traded a lot of their farm system away to acquire Shelby Miller from Atlanta to give them a formidable one-two punch along with Greinke. 

One thing the Diamondbacks couldn’t afford was a major position-player injury because they don’t have depth in the lineup. Two days before the 2016 season started, All-Star center fielder A.J. Pollock suffered a fractured right elbow that will require surgery and has left his return status up in the air.

The Dodgers, while they spent money on Kazmir, remained relatively quiet and trusted their development system to supplement their roster. 

Injuries have hit the Dodgers outfield, with Andre Ethier suffering a fractured tibia late in spring training that will likely keep him out until June. They do have depth with Pederson, Carl Crawford and Yasiel Puig more than capable of starting. 

Puig and Pederson are the two wild cards in that mix. Puig battled injuries last season, hitting a career-low .255/.322/.436 in 79 games, but he has All-Star potential when everything is clicking. 

Pederson flamed out in the second half of his rookie season, hitting .178/.317/.300 after the All-Star break, but he still hit 26 homers with those struggles. His ability to make consistent contact will ultimately determine his ceiling. 

Depth in the bullpen remains a problem for the Dodgers, making the performance of the starting rotation more imperative than ever. This is still a loaded roster that will only get better as Seager gains experience. 

Even though they may no longer be the fashionable choice in the division, the Dodgers are still the best team from top to bottom until someone knocks them down.

2016 Prediction: 90-72, 1st in NL West

Stats per Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted. 

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After a playoff appearance last season, optimism is high for the New York Yankees heading into 2016. They start the year with a Wild Card Game rematch against reigning American League Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel and the Houston Astros. 

Originally slated for Monday, the Yankees announced the game will now take place on Tuesday.

Last year was a positive step for the Yankees, though it was not the huge leap forward fans in New York are accustomed to with this franchise. The Yankees won 84-87 games each of the last three years, opting to ride things out with their old talent and slowly working prospects into the mix. 

Bringing up the younger guys occurred out of necessity. If Mark Teixeira was capable of playing 140-150 games, Greg Bird likely would have spent all of last season in Triple-A.

The Yankees are a team in transition, but because they don’t go through full rebuilding periods, they are still piecing together a 25-man roster capable of competing in a loaded American League East with teams like the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox. 

For instance, instead of trying to spend on one of the big free-agent starters available, the Yankees looked at the template set by the Kansas City Royals and built as good of a trio in the back of the bullpen as there is with Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman.

Chapman is suspended for the first 30 games of the regular season under MLB‘s domestic violence policy, but the Yankees can survive his absence because of Miller and Betances. 

Beyond acquiring Chapman and Starlin Castro, this was a quiet offseason in the Bronx. It’s the right tactic for a team that is going to clear a lot of money in the next two years, but will it lead to another playoff appearance?

Here are the biggest questions and predictions for the Yankees in 2016. 

What Does the Rotation Offer?

Looking at the Yankees’ starting rotation last year, it’s a wonder this team managed to win 87 games. The Yankees didn’t have one starter make 30 starts or reach 170 innings. Masahiro Tanaka, who will start on Opening Day, was the only starter to make at least 20 starts and post an ERA under 4.00. 

CC Sabathia, who missed last year’s playoff game against Houston to enter alcohol rehab, is back. He’s 35 years old and doesn’t have much giddy-up on the fastball anymore, per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch:

Sabathia’s ability to pitch and hit his spots will help him survive, but expecting him to be any more than a back-end starter at this point isn’t realistic. 

Tanaka has tremendous potential, as evidenced by his 280 strikeouts in 290.1 innings, but he’s got to show that he can make 30-plus starts in a season to become the No. 1 starter New York so desperately needs. 

Luis Severino had an excellent 2.89 ERA in 11 starts last year, though he also allowed nine home runs and 22 walks in 62.1 innings.

The 22-year-old Severino certainly has the confidence needed to step up based on these comments to YES Network’s Meredith Marakovits (via Brendan Kuty of NJ.com) in January: “Of course [I can be New York’s ace].”

That kind of confidence is necessary for any pitcher to succeed, but Severino has a lot of work left to do before approaching those lofty heights. 

Because the Yankees have built such a deep bullpen, they can get away with having starters throw five innings more often than not. Eventually, though, those starts will have to get longer or else the relievers will be worn out by the time October rolls around. 

What Will the Lineup Look Like?

One reason the Yankees succeeded last year despite all the pitching woes is because they scored 764 runs, second only to the Blue Jays in MLB. 

As the season moved on, though, the Yankees’ age started catching up to them. They limped into the postseason offensively, finishing 17th in runs scored during September, and manager Joe Girardi constantly had to shuffle things considering the number of games lost due to injuries. 

Injuries hit the Yankees hard even before spring training started, with Bird undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery in February. He would have played a huge role in New York this season after impressing with a .529 slugging percentage and 11 homers in 46 games last year.

In fairness to Brian McCann, he didn’t spend time on the disabled list in 2015. He’s a catcher and requires more days off than the average position player, particularly now that he’s on the wrong side of 30. 

Jacoby Ellsbury has been frail throughout his career, only playing more than 140 games four times in nine seasons. His numbers have dropped off in two years with New York, posting a career-low .663 OPS (min. 100 games) last year. 

Teixeira can’t be counted on for more than 120 games at this point in his career. He’s missed 276 games since 2012 and is going to turn 36 on April 11. Alex Rodriguez was a pleasant surprise in 2015, posting his highest home run total (33) since 2008 and OPS+ (131) since 2009. 

After the All-Star break, however, Rodriguez looked like a 40-year-old. He hit .216/.324/.448 in 69 games during the second half, so his tank is zeroing in on “E” heading into 2016. 

Castro gets a chance to reinvent himself after a disappointing 2015 with the Chicago Cubs. The 26-year-old thinks he’s found an answer to his early-season offensive woes last year, per Kuty:

The Dominican Republic-born infielder had gone from an open stances to one that was closed, allowing him, he said, to drive the ball with more consistency to right-center field.

The hardest part of that? Castro told NJ Advance Media it’s been not crossing his front leg with his back leg, essentially overcompensating for his old stance.

When Castro hit with an open stance, he would bring his front left foot from the left side of the box and make it parallel with his back foot. With his new stance, he tries to keep his feet parallel at all times.

Castro did turn things around last year, hitting .295/.319/.464 in 65 games after the All-Star break. He’s not the kind of hitter who can carry the middle of a lineup because he swings at everything, but if he can duplicate that 2015 second-half slash line as a No. 6 hitter, the Yankees will be thrilled. 

Reinforcements are coming with outfielder Aaron Judge and catcher Gary Sanchez likely to get called up at some point during the season, but there’s only so much those rookies can do surrounded by a nucleus that is old and doesn’t appear to be cut out for a six-month grind. 

Prediction

Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA projections have the Yankees finishing fourth in the American League East with a respectable 84-78 record. That’s right in range with where they have been the past three years, though it also seems optimistic. 

I mentioned the Yankees trying to follow Kansas City’s blueprint to success with a dominant bullpen, but they are missing two key ingredients to that formula: speed and defense. 

It’s easy to get hung up on Wade Davis and Kelvin Herrera throwing smoke at the end of games, but none of that would work if the Royals didn’t have the AL’s best defense and an opportunistic offense that doesn’t strike out.  

The Yankees finished last year 27th in defensive runs saved, a figure that’s not likely to get better with Castro at second base and outfielders like Ellsbury and Brett Gardner losing a step. 

Starting pitching remains a huge concern for the Yankees, who waited until the last minute before announcing an Opening Day starter simply because they didn’t know what Tanaka was going to look like. Their bullpen will be among the most dominant in MLB when Chapman returns from suspension. 

Miller did give Yankees fans cause for concern when he took a liner off his right (non-throwing) wrist, but he will pitch through the broken bone this season after getting cleared by a doctor.

There won’t be a complete drop-off because the Yankees still have quality talent, but it’s going to be a chore finishing around .500 in 2016. 

2016 record: 80-82

Stats per Baseball-Reference.com, FanGraphs and ESPN.com unless otherwise noted.

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A revamped front office and busy offseason have the Boston Red Sox dreaming big in 2016, though their task will be difficult playing against a strong American League East. 

Opening Day will see the fruits of Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and general manager Mike Hazen‘s labor with new ace David Price stepping on the mound in Cleveland. 

The big story in Boston this season is David Ortiz’s impending retirement. The 40-year-old announced on his birthday in November that this would be his final year after 14 seasons with the Red Sox. 

Yet this is a very different Red Sox team. In four years with Ben Cherington as GM from 2012-15, they didn’t go crazy spending money. There were certainly big deals given out, notably to Hanley Ramirez, Pablo Sandoval and Rick Porcello last year, but they seemed to shy away from $150-200 million deals for individual players. 

Dombrowski and Hazen immediately changed that philosophy, giving Price the biggest deal ever for a pitcher (seven years, $217 million) and trading two of their top six prospects to San Diego as part of a package to acquire closer Craig Kimbrel. 

There is still a good, young nucleus in Boston that was not touched, led by shortstop Xander Bogaerts and center fielder Mookie Betts, that will ultimately determine how far the Red Sox go in 2016.

Biggest Storyline: Which Failed 2015 Signee Will Bounce Back?

One reason Cherington is no longer general manager of the Red Sox stems from the complete and total failures of Ramirez and Sandoval in 2015. 

Ramirez and Sandoval essentially agreed to deals with the Red Sox at the same time during the winter of 2014 with a combined value of $193 million, not including option years. They were two of the worst position players in Major League Baseball last season. 

The Red Sox were smart enough to take Ramirez, who was a black hole in left field, and put him at first base with the hope of letting him focus on being the player who posted a .283/.369/.448 slash line two years ago with the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

Per Scott Lauber of ESPN.com, Ramirez has looked better at first base than anyone with the Red Sox was expecting:

In one of his first game tests, on March 7, Ramirez was unable to scoop a dirt-diving throw by third baseman (Sandoval). But a week later, he came off the bag to glove a wide throw by Sandoval, then reached back to apply a tag. Two nights after that, he was in position to cut off a throw to the plate from right field and throw out a runner at second base. He even made a few diving plays on hard-hit balls down the line.

Lauber did note Ramirez still has to face the test of starting a double play and usual growing pains that come with learning a new position, but he’s taken to the position quickly to give Boston some optimism.

Sandoval is a different story. He once again had to deal with stories about his weight early in spring training, per Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe:

For as long as Sandoval has been an MLB player, he’s been heavy. It’s just his body type, making the shock and outrage at his physique silly. 

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe started fanning the trade winds involving Sandoval by noting the Padres had a scout in attendance at a Red Sox game specifically to look at the third baseman. 

It doesn’t necessarily mean anything, as opposing teams have scouts at every game every day, but Sandoval wore out his welcome in Boston last year, so this gives fans something to latch onto. 

Plus, if betting on one of Ramirez or Sandoval to have a strong 2016, it would be Sandoval. That’s unusual to say, especially in light of the decision to start him on the bench in favor of Travis Shaw. 

It’s a bold decision that does send a message to everyone on the team that things aren’t business as usual, but Sandoval will not be limited for long. He’s making too much money and the team gains nothing by sitting him. 

Shaw was a pleasant surprise last year, hitting .270/.327/.487 in 65 games, though he is 25 years old and was never highly regarded as a prospect. Players change all the time, but his leap forward was so out of nowhere that it’s OK to be skeptical if he returns to that form over 162 games. 

Ramirez has more natural talent, but he’s 32 years old and has had problems staying healthy. He hasn’t played in more than 128 games since 2012. 

Sandoval, while not a prototypical athlete, does have plenty of athleticism in his husky frame. He’s just 29 years old and played in 298 out of a possible 324 games in his final two years with the San Francisco Giants. 

Per FanGraphs, Sandoval was also unlucky last year with a career-low .270 batting average on balls in play. The Panda has never been a patient hitter, but he’s made such consistent contact that some of those balls that were outs last year are going to fall in this year and dramatically raise his numbers. 

Rising Star: Jackie Bradley Jr. 

I wanted to put Betts or Bogaerts here because they are both 23 years old and fun to talk about, but they played so well in 2015 that it’s hard to justify calling either player a rising star heading into this season. 

Instead, let’s examine Jackie Bradley Jr., a player who seemed to wear out his welcome in Boston before a solid effort in 2015 gave him new life. The 25-year-old didn’t get regular playing time in the big leagues last season until the end of July, yet still managed a solid .249/.335/.498 slash line with 10 homers in 74 games. 

The Red Sox have good outfield depth with Betts capable of playing in center or right field, Brock Holt and Chris Young sharing time in left field and Rusney Castillo in the mix for a corner outfield spot if needed. 

Bradley’s presence in the outfield will be a huge boost. Even when he was struggling with the bat in 2014, his glove was never a problem. The former South Carolina star was credited with 15 defensive runs saved two years ago, per FanGraphs. 

An elite defensive player in center field doesn’t have to do much offensively to be worth three wins above replacement. Bradley somehow fell well below that barrier with the bat in 2014, posting a .198/.265/.266 line in 127 games. 

This spring is continuing last year’s breakout trend for Bradley, with Lauber noting how the outfielder has changed his hitting approach:

[Red Sox assistant hitting coach Victor] Rodriguez and hitting coach Chili Davis have been trying to instill that aggressiveness in Bradley, and the 25-year-old appears to have embraced the idea. He still prides himself on knowing the strike zone and waiting for his pitch, but now, if he gets that pitch early in the count, he isn’t afraid to pounce.

The selective-aggressive approach worked for Bradley last season. He put together a solid spring training that makes it seem more like a legitimate turning-the-corner moment. 

The Red Sox aren’t starved for talent in the outfield, but Bradley’s presence in center field would shift the AL East’s balance of power. 

Prediction

For all of the Red Sox’s problems last year, particularly with Ramirez and Sandoval, they finished fourth in MLB with 748 runs scored. They only figure to get better with Betts gaining more experience following his breakout season, Bogaerts continuing to grow into his power and potential breakout stars in Bradley and catcher Blake Swihart. 

That doesn’t even include veteran stars like Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia, who has been susceptible to injuries after missing 96 games over the last two years, so there will be plenty of runs found in Boston. 

Moving Ramirez out of left field immediately upgrades the Red Sox’s outfield defense, though his transition to first base will be a key story to watch early. His hands have never been great, so he has to prove himself capable of consistently picking bad throws from infielders. 

The starting rotation is the biggest question mark. Price is a horse at the top. Eduardo Rodriguez has a chance to emerge as the No. 2 by the end of 2016, but he is battling a knee injury that’s expected to keep him out until May. 

Porcello turned his 2015 season around after the All-Star break, posting a 3.53 ERA in 11 starts, enough to provide hope that things will be better this season. Clay Buchholz has to prove he can stay healthy enough to make 25-30 starts in a season before penciling him in as a No. 2-3 starter. 

The addition of Kimbrel not only gives the Red Sox a lockdown closer, but also helps add length to the bullpen with Koji Uehara and Junichi Tazawa splitting the seventh- and eighth-inning roles. 

It all adds up to a talented, dynamic roster that will be much better than the 78-win group from 2015. This is not a flawless team, by any means, but they are the strongest team on paper in the AL East and ready to make a return trip to the postseason. 

2016 Record Prediction: 91-71, 1st in AL East

Stats per Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

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As the New York Mets and Kansas City Royals get set to open the 2016 Major League Baseball season on Sunday night, with the Royals receiving their World Series rings for defeating the Mets last October, the only thing anyone is talking about right now is retaliation.

Marc Carig of Newsday reported Tuesday the Royals were seeking retribution against the Mets after Noah Syndergaard threw a pitch over the head of Alcides Escobar in Game 3 of last year’s Fall Classic.

Speaking to ESPN.com’s Adam Rubin on Wednesday, Syndergaard said he doesn’t understand what the Royals’ reported plan would accomplish:

I don’t think they’re too fond of me, but as far as retaliation goes, I really don’t know what they’re going to retaliate against. All I did was establish the inner part of the plate. So I don’t know what this whole retaliation talk is all about. But it’s going to be an interesting time. … I simply threw a pitch on the inside corner. Elevated. A purpose pitch. I don’t really see how any retaliation could be made.

It does seem like a pointless plan for the Royals, if it’s even true, because they got the ultimate revenge. They defeated the Mets to win the franchise’s first championship in 30 years. Nothing that Syndergaard or any other New York starting pitcher did last October changes that.

Syndergaard did say he’s not nervous heading to Kauffman Stadium this weekend: “I’m really looking forward to it, and all the guys are looking forward to it. It’s going to be an extremely high-energy game as soon as we get to Kansas City. It’s pedal to the metal from there.”

Matt Harvey is scheduled to take the mound for the Mets on Sunday, with Syndergaard getting the call in Game 2 of the series against Kansas City on Tuesday. He is going to get the same treatment from Royals fans that Chase Utley got from Mets fans last postseason.

The Royals have not been shy about trying to intimidate opponents, getting nine players ejected during a six-game span early last season for various reasons. They spent a lot of time as a doormat for American League opponents, but there should be a limit to how long one team can remain angry over something that didn’t make a difference in the outcome of its series.

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Authorities in Maui, Hawaii, will drop domestic abuse charges against Colorado Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes ahead of a trial that was scheduled to begin April 4.

Per Jennifer Sinco Kelleher of the Associated Press, Maui deputy prosecuting attorney Kerry Glen decided to drop the case against Reyes due to a lack of cooperation from Reyes’ wife.

Reyes was arrested and charged with allegedly assaulting his wife on October 31, per Chelsea Davis of Hawaii News Now.

According to Davis’ report, the alleged altercation took place around 2:30 p.m. while Reyes and his wife, Katherine, were staying at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea. Reyes’ wife told police he “grabbed her off the bed and shoved her” and also reportedly told police he “grabbed her throat and shoved her into the sliding glass balcony door.”

The Rockies, who acquired Reyes from Toronto last July, issued a statement regarding the allegations against the 32-year-old:

While awaiting a final outcome to Reyes’ domestic violence case, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred announced in February the four-time All-Star had been placed on paid leave, via MLB.com’s Thomas Harding: 

Upon resolution of Reyes’ criminal proceedings and the completion of the Commissioner’s Office’s investigation into the incident, Commissioner Manfred will make a decision whether to impose discipline on Reyes. The Commissioner’s Office will have no further comment on this matter until a final disposition is announced.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported Reyes will remain on administrative leave until the investigation is complete.

Even though the case against Reyes was dropped, he could still face a suspension from MLB. The league’s domestic violence policy, established last August, gives Manfred the authority to determine a punishment following an investigation by the commissioner’s office.

New York Yankees reliever Aroldis Chapman became the first player punished under the new policy after details emerged in December of an incident with his girlfriend in October. Chapman received a 30-game suspension to start the season even though prosecutors decided not to pursue a case against him due to conflicting accounts and lack of evidence, per MLB.com’s Paul Hagen and Bryan Hoch.

Reyes has not played a spring training game with the Rockies while on paid leave, so even if he avoids a suspension, he likely wouldn’t be ready to take the field when they open the season on April 4 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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Shane Victorino, Munenori Kawasaki and Manny Parra were released and re-signed to minor league contracts by the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, per Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com.

Per Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com, Victorino was one of three players released by the Cubs on Tuesday. Rogers later reported all three players have been re-signed. Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reported the contracts are minor league deals.

Victorino signed a minor league deal with the Cubs on February 26, telling Muskat he was hoping to be part of bringing a championship to the long-suffering franchise:

I’m just ready for an opportunity and hope to be part of something special. I’ve been blessed in my career to be part of a couple special championships in special cities. I tell myself, being a fan of the game, when there’s a 100-plus-year drought in championships, you always want to be the first. That’s the goal.

Unfortunately for Victorino, being an outfielder for the Cubs is not an easy way to make the big leagues. Even by releasing the Flyin’ Hawaiian, they still have Jorge Soler, Jason Heyward, Dexter Fowler and Kyle Schwarber fighting over three spots.

The Cubs also have the ability to use Ben Zobrist and Javier Baez in the outfield mix this season. There were financial implications behind the team’s decision regarding Victorino, as Muskat noted he was due to receive a $100,000 roster bonus.

Victorino still has the option to re-sign with the Cubs, though his agent, John Boggs, told Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports they were exploring various options upon learning Victorino wouldn’t make the 25-man roster: “We’re in the beginning stages of trying to recreate a scenario to focus on getting Shane healthy.”

Therein lies another dilemma for Victorino. He remained on the market for so long this winter because of his inability to stay healthy. The 12-year veteran has played a combined 101 games over the last two seasons and hasn’t hit the 140-game mark since 2012.

Injuries and age have combined to hinder Victorino’s performance at the plate, as his .601 OPS last season was a career low (min. 50 games).

Victorino’s career is in its final stages. He deserves credit for fighting his way back, but it’s going to be a long uphill climb to get more than the minor league deal because of injuries and declining performance.

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Coming off an injury-plagued 2015 season, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig is fighting a hamstring injury.

Continue for updates. 

Latest Details on Puig’s Hamstring Injury

Saturday, March 26

According to Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times, Puig was scratched from Saturday’s spring training game against the Seattle Mariners due to a tight hamstring.

The announcement comes on the heels of Puig being lifted from Friday’s contest against the San Francisco Giants early, although he suggested it had nothing to do with his health, per MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick:

The Dodgers need a bounce-back season from Puig, who hit just .255/.322/.436 in 79 games last year. The 25-year-old is a dynamic talent when healthy, hitting .296/.382/.480 and making the All-Star team in 2014.

Puig has shown flashes of brilliance thus far in spring training with a .333 batting average, one home run and six RBI in 12 games, but durability issues continue to plague him, as he missed most of the 2015 campaign.

Lineup depth is not a strength for the Dodgers, though they have tremendous young talents like Puig, Corey Seager and Joc Pederson who can elevate them in 2016. They finished 19th in runs scored last season because of injuries and poor performances. 

The Dodgers have financial resources and a deep farm system to use if they feel compelled to find more help in the outfield, either as a short-term replacement or someone to play on a consistent basis throughout the season as part of a rotation. 

With Andre Ethier on the shelf for 10-14 weeks with a fractured tibia, per ESPN.com, losing Puig for any length of time becomes an even bigger hindrance to the Dodgers.

Carl Crawford and Scott Van Slyke are currently L.A.’s reserve outfielders, and they may both be forced into significant action depending upon the severity of Puig’s hamstring issue.

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Ryan Braun‘s back is flaring up late in spring training, causing the Milwaukee Brewers to take him out of the lineup on Thursday. He is not expected to miss time in the regular season, though it’s unclear exactly when he will return.

Continue for updates.

Counsell Comments on Braun’s Playing Status 

Saturday, March 26

“I’m confident he’ll be in the lineup on Opening Day,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said, per Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I really am.”

Injury-Plagued Braun Still a Star Slugger 

The 2011 National League MVP battled back problems last season, eventually undergoing surgery to repair a herniated disc in October. 

In November, Braun told Haudricourt his rehab was progressing well:

I feel pretty good, knock on wood. The only surprise is the rehab is a little longer than I was anticipating, just a couple months of rehab. Other than that, everything was as expected. 

The first couple of days post-procedure were not fun; it was painful. But other than that, I feel good. I’m doing my physical therapy stuff four days a week. I definitely feel pretty good right now.

Braun, who is 32 years old, had a strong rebound season in 2015 after a poor 2014 in which he posted a career-low .777 OPS. He’s not the MVP-caliber player from early in his career, but he still hit 25 home runs with an .854 OPS in 140 games last season. 

The Brewers are fully immersed in rebuilding their roster and acquiring assets for the future, so contending in 2016 is a long shot. 

Braun is the last vestige of Milwaukee’s 2008 and 2011 playoff teams and signed through 2020 with a mutual option for 2021. His health will be a huge focal point for the Brewers, who are paying him a lot of money as they endure a lot of struggles on the field. 

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New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez‘s Major League Baseball career will likely come to an end after the 2017 season.

Speaking to ESPN.com’s Andrew Marchand on Wednesday, Rodriguez said: “I won’t play after next year. I’ve really enjoyed my time. For me, it is time for me to go home and be dad.”

Although shortly after that he clarified his remarks to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News: “I’m thinking in terms of my contract which ends in 2017. After that, we’ll see what happens. I’ve got two years and more than 300 games to play.”

The timing of Rodriguez’s possible retirement is not entirely a surprise, as his 10-year contract expires after the 2017 season. He will be 42 years old at that time.

Even though A-Rod’s career has come to be defined by his postseason shortcomings and performance-enhancing-drug use, he has started to rebuild his image. The first step was a successful 2015 season with a .250/.356/.486 slash line and 33 home runs, his most in a season since 2008, after missing the entire 2014 season due to a suspension.

Rodriguez also had a fine transition to the broadcast booth as part of Fox’s television coverage for the postseason after the Yankees lost to the Houston Astros in the American League Wild Card Game.

While few will ever agree on Rodriguez’s ultimate place in baseball history, there’s no denying he was among MLB‘s greatest players during his peak. He’s hit 687 home runs, the fourth-most in MLB history, won three AL MVP awards and won the 2009 World Series with the Yankees.

It seems unlikely Rodriguez will end his career as MLB’s all-time home run leader, assuming he does retire after the 2017 season. ESPN Stats & Info showed what he would have to do to get there if he plays just two more seasons:

If Rodriguez climbs within, say, 15-20 homers of Bonds’ record after the 2017 season, he may find incentive to continue his career. 

Cynicism about Rodriguez’s announcement emerged on Twitter immediately after the news broke, as Josh Newman of the Asbury Park Press displayed:

It is certainly unusual for a player to announce his potential retirement two years in advance. Derek Jeter and David Ortiz made their respective announcements one season before they walked away, but Rodriguez has always been a little different.

There will be ample time to debate Rodriguez’s place in MLB history. This is a time to let it sink in that one of the sport’s great talents plans to leave on his own terms, if that’s indeed what A-Rod is doing. He’s earned that right, and the farewell tour would be fun to watch.

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As Yu Darvish continues rebuilding his arm strength from Tommy John surgery, the Texas Rangers will go with Cole Hamels as their Opening Day starter against the Seattle Mariners on April 4.

The Rangers officially announced Hamels as their No. 1 starter on Twitter on Wednesday. 

The 32-year-old Hamels was acquired by the Rangers last season on July 31 in a deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. He posted a 3.66 ERA with 78 strikeouts in 83.2 innings after the move, helping Texas win its first American League West title since 2011. 

Hamels was the Rangers’ starting pitcher in their must-win game on the last day of the season, tossing a complete-game three-hitter in a 9-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels. He made two starts against the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Division Series, allowing four earned runs with 14 strikeouts and two walks in 13.1 innings. 

If Darvish were healthy, his resume and dominant stuff would likely have given him the edge over Hamels to start on Opening Day. He’s being carefully managed by the team, throwing 31 pitches in a bullpen session Tuesday, and he won’t face live hitters until he’s able to throw between 50 and 55 pitches, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. 

Hamels is certainly no stranger to taking the ball for a season opener, previously getting the honor as a member of the Phillies in 2013 and 2015, per Rangers executive vice president of communications John Blake. 

Blake also noted the Rangers have used seven different Opening Day starters in the last seven seasons. Hamels has proved himself to be one of the best and most consistent pitchers in Major League Baseball.

Hamels may no longer be the Cy Young Award contender from his peak days in Philadelphia, but his evolution as a pitcher to keep hitters off balance before setting them up with his devastating changeup will keep him playing at a high level for a long time. 

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